municipal liability News

Baltimore, Businesses Settle for $3.5M Over Freddie Gray Unrest

The city of Baltimore has reached a $3.5 million settlement with a group of business owners whose property was damaged in the 2015 unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray, a Black man injured in police custody. In all, …

Taxi Driver Shot by Off-Duty Officer Settles With New York County for $2M

A cab driver who was wounded by an off-duty police officer in a 2011 road-rage shooting has settled his lawsuit against New York’s Nassau County for $2 million. Newsday reports that county legislative committees approved the payment to Thomas Moroughan …

Rochester Settles Wrongful Termination Claim by Ex-Police Chief

Rochester’s ex-police chief La’Ron Singletary will receive $75,000 from the City of Rochester after he sued the city for wrongful termination last year, alleging former Mayor Lovely Warren fired him for refusing to lie during an investigation into the death …

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Kentucky Fatal Police Shooting

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a northern Kentucky police department after two officers fatally shot an armed man during a traffic stop. The family of Randall Lockaby, 57, of Manchester filed suit last week in federal court …

Massachusetts Town’s Former Police Officer Alleges Sexual Orientation Discrimination

A former Brimfield, Mass. police officer has filed a lawsuit claiming the town’s board members discriminated against him when they chose not to reappoint him as the town’s only patrolman because of his sexual orientation. Ryan Olszta alleges the town …

Pennsylvania Township Reported to Settle Police Shooting Lawsuit for $950K

ALLENTOWN, Pa. —The family of a New Jersey man shot and killed by a police officer near an eastern Pennsylvania amusement park in 2018 will reportedly receive part of a $950,000 settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit against the …

Town Not Liable in Drowning of Handcuffed Teen, Says Delaware Court

A federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s ruling that police in a small southern Delaware town had no constitutional duty to rescue a teenager who drowned after he was handcuffed and tried to escape. The court on Monday rejected …

Philadelphia Sued by Man Exonerated After 37 Years in Prison

A Philadelphia man freed after 37 years in prison in a case tainted by perjured testimony accused the city of “outrageous police misconduct” in a lawsuit filed Thursday, the same day his 1984 murder case was dismissed. Willie Stokes left …

Police Officer’s Immunity Does Not Extend to New York County Employer: U.S. Court

A municipality in New York may be held liable for wrongful action by an employee even though the employee was granted individual immunity. A police detective found liable by a jury for a false arrest was entitled to qualified immunity …

Judge Dismisses Claims Against Ocean City for Beach Umbrella Injury

A judge has dismissed Ocean City from a federal lawsuit over a beach umbrella getting caught in the wind and impaling a woman. The lawsuit filed in June 2021 claimed that negligence on the part of the town and the …